Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 74 | 9 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 78 | 275 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 26% | 35 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 3 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0.4 up / 1 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (21)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 65
“NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is solid, but it lacks that certain something that dialogue-heavy games need. That said there is a charm with the characters and presentation, music especially. Fans of visual novels with puzzles might want to look into it further. Just beware of certain things, backtracking, the duration, pacing issues, potential puzzle frustration, and an unsatisfying story arc, when deciding if it's worth the reasonable ten dollar cost.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“There's a good chance you've probably never heard of NAIRI: Tower of Shirin, but that doesn't mean this hidden gem should pass you buy. Sure, it doesn't have the pedigree of a Double Fine game or the licence exposure of something from TellTale's back catalogue, but it still offers up a safe and engaging world full of quirky characters, challenging puzzles and all the screen-tapping backgrounds you could ask for. It's no great reimagining of the genre, but it's still a curio worth playing nonetheless.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“There’s something about Nairi that feels great that I can’t quite explain. The art and personality of its characters is consistently endearing, the puzzles feel mostly organic rather than forced or plain weird (at least by genre standards), and it’s simply satisfying to play. While not all aspects are perfect and there are spots where it can drag it still has managed to carve out a legitimate spot for itself among the many titles in this genre on Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“While the journey is more important than the destination, the fact NAIRI lacks a traditional conclusion - leaving many arcs and themes in a resolution limbo - hurts the narrative considerably. Considering just how much the story focuses on Nairi as a character, a cliff-hanger ending that places emphasis on plot comes off structurally inappropriate at best. That said, the script, atmosphere, and puzzles all warrant at least one playthrough. Tower of Shirin might fall much flatter than it needed to thanks to a poorly realised ending, but NAIRI, as a whole, is a charming point-and-click with plenty of heart.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“One last thing I should mention: this game is Part 1 of a series, something I wish the game had disclosed upfront to set proper expectations. Tower of Shirin felt like just the right length to me and didn't leave me feeling like I had played half of a game, but the cliffhanger ending leaves Nairi way short of fulfilling her quest. I don't see this as a strike against the game, but being forewarned may save some people from being disappointed.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“Nairi: Tower of Shirin is a wonderful graphic adventure that entertained me very well. The story always remains interesting and with the intuitive gameplay based on touchscreen or Joycon, everyone can enter the oriental game world. In addition to the charming characters scores the loving look and the atmospheric background music. The puzzles vary a bit in their level of difficulty, but by talking with other people and pondering is no mystery too difficult. A game for young and old and also suitable for the current cold season.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Despite this, Nairi: Tower of Shirin remains a charming and engaging point-and-click adventure game. The story is conveyed well via good writing, with enough twists and revelations that make it feel like a children's show due to the subject matter and higher stakes involved. The puzzles are great brain teasers but also have the good sense to not fall into the trap of being difficult for the sake of it. Most of all, that art style is too attractive to pass up, with every character being extremely likeable. Provided you don't mind the cliffhanger ending, Nairi is a worthy pickup for adventure fans.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Despite some flaws NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is an adorable game with solid point-and-click adventure mechanics and the potential for a great story, although the abrupt cliffhanger ending prevents it from being completely satisfying.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Nairi: Tower of Shirin contributes to the growing number of point and click games on the Nintendo Switch catalogue and does it with an experience that is very accessible, with an interesting and eye-catching art style, a very involving plot and a fluid control system. Its difficulty level and overall lifespan put this work on the simpler side of the spectrum making this opus more recommended to broader segments of the audience.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a very fun game that I highly recommend you give a try, it's absolutely worth it. The game has a very cute look and a charming cast that will keep you coming back for more until you make it to the end. Do let me know what you think of NAIRI: Tower of Shirin on Nintendo Switch!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is mostly a nice adventure/visual novel game, but with a bit of an identity crisis and some really annoying problems. NAIRI would probably have worked out much better just as a visual novel, but is worth getting if you have lots of patience, and it’s on sale.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a very charming and enjoyable little point-and-click adventure game for the Nintendo Switch. I really enjoyed both the story and the art style quite a bit. It will take you probably 10-15 hours tops to complete your adventure, depending on how much you get stuck here or there on certain puzzles. I spent around 10 hours or so on my adventure and learning about the Tower of Shirin for this review. The game is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $9.99. You can also get it on PC via Steam. Can you solve all of the puzzles and reach the top of the Tower of Shirin?”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
NintendoWorldReport
neXGam
Worth Playing
MonsterVine
FNintendo
PS3Blog.net
The Gaming Ground
oprainfall…and 9 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Version 1.1 (Update)Mar 27, 2026
- Weekly Update #16 - Let's Talk About Act 4 & Release DatesAug 20, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- HyperParasite Update #15 - Guarding the Desert, Gamescom 2019 & Official WikiAug 9, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- 🌳Yggdrasill has a new hope!🌳 (0.2.16)Jul 25, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Weekly Update #10 - New characters, bosses and 25% off!Jun 28, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- NAIRI: Tower of Shirin - Post Launch UpdatesDec 8, 2018